Wildfires burning in the Pacific Northwest could send smoke floating toward the Chicago area this week, according to forecasts from the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Those fires, burning in parts of Oregon, Idaho and western Montana, are expected to billow smoke over the northern United States in coming days, and some of that smoke could arrive in the Chicago area as soon as Wednesday.
While air quality is expected to be moderate on Wednesday and Thursday, it is believed that will be because of ozone forming as a result of a short-lived heat wave that’s expected to send temperatures toward the 90-degree mark in the Chicago area.
Most of the smoke from the wildfires is expected to remain at higher levels of the atmosphere, leading to hazy sunshine but limited impacts on air quality at the surface, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.
Cooler temperatures will likely arrive by Friday, as the remnants of Tropical Storm Francine will push up the Mississippi River Valley and toward the Midwest. That system could also bring some rain, and will likely clear out wildfire smoke from the atmosphere as well.
You can check up-to-date air quality levels on the AirNow website, and can get more information on ongoing wildfires via NASA’s collaboration with the USDA Forest Service.
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